Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate in 2027 the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Athelstan in 927.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I am not aware of any government plans to specifically commemorate the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Æthelstan in 927.

However, DCMS's Arms-Length Body, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has recently funded 2 projects that explore Æthelstan and his history.

In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where Æthelstan was crowned in 925, in November 2024 the NLHF gave a grant of over £178k to support the council to deliver Kingston 2025: Celebrating our past, present, and future. The project invites visitors to ‘immerse themselves in all things Saxon’, showcasing the skills and trade of Æthelstan’s era.

In Malmesbury, the town in which Æthelstan was buried at his own request, in April 2024 a NLHF grant of over £14k has supported local organisation, Malmesbury Town Team, to deliver Æthelstan 1100's The Big Dig - Revealing Malmesbury's Story. Working with archaeologists and historians, the project has engaged schools, volunteers and residents in a wide range of activities exploring the town's past. The Big Dig uncovered finds from every period of Malmesbury's history except Roman, including pottery from the time of Æthelstan.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 4 September (HL Deb col 909), at which Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) meetings the UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary partnership has been discussed; which CPTPP members participated in those discussions; and whether any members raised concerns about the nature of the prospective partnership.

Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The EU-UK SPS Agreement was raised as a short item of ‘Any Other Business’ at the 7th meeting of the CPTPP Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures on July 3-4, 2025, which all CPTPP Parties attended.

The UK reaffirmed that we remain fully committed to our trade obligations under CPTPP and will not be rejoining the EU’s single market or customs union. The Committee noted the UK’s update and welcomed the UK’s offer to keep CPTPP members informed of developments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the news story about the UK–EU reset agreement published on 19 May, how they calculated that the agreement would add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040, who did the calculation, and whether they will place a copy of the calculation and any related modelling in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Combined, the SPS (£5.1 billion) and Emissions Trading Systems linking (£3.8 billion) measures alone are set to add nearly £9 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040, in a significant boost for growth. These are government estimates, and methodology notes published following the Summit will be deposited to the Library of the House in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many European airports allowed UK passengers to use e-gates on 19 May, and how many do so now.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Rt. Hon Lord to the answer provided on 5^th June 2025 to PQ HL7659.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Livermore on 13 October (HL Deb col 9), on what basis and calculations it was claimed that "without Brexit, GDP would be 4% higher".

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The statement was based on independent analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In 2020 the OBR forecast that GDP will be 4 per cent lower than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU. The OBR estimated that around two-fifths of the 4 per cent impact had already occurred by the time the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force, that GDP would be 2.7 per cent lower by 2025, with the remaining reduction occurring by 2031.

In the OBR’s March 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, they reaffirmed these assumptions were on track, and as of Spring 2025 these forecasts were unchanged.

Other independent studies are also consistent with this analysis, for example the National Institute of Economic and Social Research estimates that GDP will be 5 to 6 per cent lower as a result of Brexit.

Found: and Baroness Cass 31 Proposal 10: Letter from Lord Foulkes of Cumnock 34 Proposal 11: Letter from Lord Frost